1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Allotropy

ALLOTROPY (Gr. ἄλλος, other, and τρόπος, manner), a name applied by J. J. Berzelius to the property possessed by certain substances of existing in different modifications. Custom has to some extent restricted its use to inorganic chemistry; the corresponding property of organic compounds being generally termed isomerism (q.v.). Conspicuous examples are afforded by oxygen, carbon, boron, silicon, phosphorus, mercuric oxide and iodide.